Broadcast 1789 (Special Edition)

Feedback: What did you think of this show?:

Guest: Lawrence Williams. Topics: SpaceX, government policy, strategic relations, space capital investment and more. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog, http://thespaceshow.wordpress.com. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We welcomed Lawrence Williams back to the show to discuss his 8.5 years with SpaceX to talk reality about strategic government relations, NASA, congress, competition, capital investment needs, markets, and policy. During this nonstop one hour discussion, Lawrence took us through from the start to today regarding the evolution of COTS and commercial space policy, plus growth for SpaceX. We talked about specific members of Congress and policies, the need for Members of Congress to pay attention to their constituents even when by doing so policies, rhetoric, or actions materialized that were not always in the best interest of COTS, commercial space, and companies including SpaceX. Listeners asked about ITAR issues, launch licensees, and even personality issues with key NASA and Congressional space policy leaders. Lawrence also told us about his new business, Capture10 (www.capture10.com) as he decided to leave SpaceX to put his skills to work in his own consulting business to be able to take advantage of the opportunities now developing in commercial space as a result of the SpaceX successes, accomplishments, and getting that commercial space door opened enough for others to also see opportunities. As Lawrence explained it, Capture10 is a business development and strategy firm that will help businesses identify, pursue and capture new billion dollar markets within the technology, telecommunications, and aerospace industries. Lawrence talked with us about some of the opportunities now emerging in aerospace. At one point, we talked with him about orbital and suborbital. As you will hear, most of his focus is on orbital because of his experience and his clients, but he has not overlooked the suborbital potential. I asked our guest about the impact of the US and global economy on capital investment in space. You might be surprised by his answer. We talked about Congressman Wolfe and some of his comments, as well as the role of government regulation and even the UN space treaties per the emerging commercial space industry. This is a fact and power packed hour discussion with an expert that has the political sense, the discernment, the "in the trenches" experience, and the lobbying know how to help a space company take roots, grow, and become successful. In addition, I believe the professionalism exhibited by Lawrence in responding to many of the questions demonstrates why such skills are crucial to both the company and industry success for space commerce and why Lawrence has been so good at doing this work for the past eight years with SpaceX. If you have questions/comments regarding this interview, please post them on The Space Show blog. If you want to contact Lawrence Williams, he said you could email him through www.capture10.com/Contact.html plus his email address he gave out on air.

Popular Threads

Recent Comments

Broadcast Schedule

Sunday: 12:00 - 1:30 PM (PT)

Monday: 2:00 - 3:30 PM (PT)

Tuesday: 7:00 - 8:30 PM (PT)

Friday: 9:30 - 11:00 AM (PT)

Other weekday times can be morning , afternoon, or evening as you will see from the program schedule below. When you see Wednesday or Thursday program options, it is because of my travel schedule and I am adding in special shows at the time chosen by the guest. The John Batchelor Hotel Mars segment is always Wednesday, 6:30-6:45 PM Pacific Time. All Hotel Mars shows are archived as Space Show programs.

Dr. Livingston Business Consulting & Speaking Opportunities

Dr. David Livingston is available for business consulting and speaking engagements. Please contact him for specifics. You can reach Dr. Livingston by email at drspace@thespaceshow.com or (415) 455-9076.

About TSS

The Space Show® wants to provide you with timely and relevant information on space issues and policy influencing the development of outer-space commerce, space tourism, exploration, planetary science, as well as other related space subjects of interest to us all.